Guides and Trips

The "Invinvible Mine Track" is a steep but overly beautiful little secret close to Glenorchy/Queenstown. The track takes about 3-4 hours return - depending on how much time you spend admiring the views into the Rees Valley and examining the rusty but still well preserved remains of the old gear like the 7m waterwheel, the row of berdans, the mine entrance, etc.To get to the track, you have to drive north from...

The Heaphy Track is one of the Great Walks. What makes it so interesting
is the variety of scenery you are about to see on your 3 to 6 day hike:
Bush, mountains, streams and waterfalls, caves, tussock plains, ocean
and beaches with palm trees and wonderfully blue water. We have never
encountered such a variety before.This tramp was part of out 10 year anniversary holidays. We were limited in time by...

Tiritiri Matangi Island is a bird sanctuary about 3km off the coast of Whangaparaoa North of Auckland. With the help of many volunteers over several years, the island has turned from an ugly sheep paddock to an island full of diverse bush and coastal areas with an abundance of birdlife that cannot be observed anywhere else in New Zealand.A ferry takes you over either from Auckland Harbour or from Gulf Harbour. Then...

This was our longest tramp ever, stretching us beyond our experiences from the Routeburn-Greenstone Track: Nine days along the Travers-Sabine Circuit in Nelson Lakes Regional Park, including a side-trip to Blue Lake.Nine days is a rather long time for this track. If you are willing to skip huts on the way (and it should be possible for those who are reasonably fit and do not stop every 2m to admire the landscape,...

Our second visit to this incredible circuit. This time, the swingbridge near the visitor centre was back in place and we were able to complete the circle. In addition, the weather was wonderful and offered some rare photography opportunities. But see for yourself...

Originally, we had planned to complete the Pouakai Circuit in an
anticlockwise manner. Sadly, an important swingbridge at the end of the
circuit had been swept away and, according to DOC members, had not been
replaced yet. So on the third day, we went all the way back (omitting
the very steep section along "The Puffer", which we took on our way
in). Later we learned, that the swingbridge would have been in place
(bummer), although not being...

We got the tip from the local guides of Lake Waikaremoana that walking anticlockwise is supposed to be the better option. You start easy for the first two days, then you climb the 600m up to Panekire Bluff and get rewarded with an awesome view.And awesome it was. Together with a friend of ours, we drove down into the Te Urewera National park, spent one night at Lake Waikaremoana Lodge and were brought...

After our Holidays in 2005, this was the first time since then that we were able to come back to the South Island. Kathrin had planned for months for the 10 days we would spend there - and walking the Routburn/Greenstone Track was one part of all that preparation.The Routeburn Track is one of the Great Walks in New Zealand, and thus the huts along the way are not only big but...

Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park, New ZealandHiking |
15.3 miles

When visiting the North island of New Zealand, if you have the time for a good 20km walk, do the Tongariro Crossing. This is a great journey into an active volcanic field. You walk along the massive volcanic cones of Mt Ngauruhoe and Mt Tongariro with Mt Ruapehu in the distance. You climb the ridges and peek into the craters with their fascinating colours, shapes and stories. You'll witness the rich blue...

This is the tracklog of our five day trip up to Cape Reinga - a place we always wanted to see because of its beauty and importance to Maori culture. Although we went in winter, the weather was fine most of the time and offered us some clouds for more dramatic pictures of the cape itself.

This was our first experience with abseiling in "natural" conditions. It is already challenging and rewarding when done in a climbing hall, but to abseil up to 80m down a waterfall, that's a different experience. Thanks for the team of CanyoNZ for guiding us out here.

We took part in a geocaching meeting on Rangitoto Island. But while most of the people came by ferry, we went there by kayak the day before. This boat trip and the following two days walking about 30km on the island was a test for our endurance and stamina. But it is worth it. This young volcano has lots of secrets to discover and a beauty of its own.

The geocache we went looking for (GCEC39) was off the beaten track. It starts at Anawhata at the west coast of the Waitakeres and leads you down to the beach and up into the forest again. From then you have to find your own way through the bush (there is a way, but it's barely visible) to a little waterfall that probably not many people have seen.

A three day hike along the Whirinaki Track close to the Te Urewera National Park.
This track shows the New Zealand forest as it appeared to the early settlers: ancient, diverse, gigantic, wonderful.
We stayed at the "Whirinaki Forest Holidays" the night before the walk, sorted our gear and were driven to the trail head the next morning. From there we walked along the Whirinaki River to the Central Whirinaki Hut, the whistling call...

With 11 people, we hiked up to the Pinnacles Hut on the Coromandel Peninsula. This is one of the most luxurious huts we've ever seen. 80 people can stay here overnight and there is gas, electric lighting and some other gadgets you normally would not find in "standard" DOC huts.
Not getting enough of the beautiful but exhausting way up, we also climbed the stairs to the Pinnacles. The reward is a...

This trip was a Christmas present of Kathrin's parents. Setting foot on such a massive and untamed volcano is an unforgettable experience. Faced with the sheer force of steam and lava, you soon realise how much mankind is dependant of the grace of mother nature. We did neither visit nor "conquer" White Island - it merely tolerated our presence.